Surface-Plasmon-Enhanced Photodriven CO2 Reduction Catalyzed by Metal-Organic-Framework-Derived Iron Nanoparticles Encapsulated by Ultrathin Carbon Layers

Highly efficient utilization of solar light with an excellent reduction capacity is achieved for plasmonic Fe@C nanostructures. By carbon layer coating, the optimized catalyst exhibits enhanced selectivity and stability applied to the solar-driven reduction of CO2 into CO. The surface-plasmon effect of iron particles is proposed to excite CO2 molecules, and thereby facilitates the final reaction activity.